Smile Train, a global cleft charity organisation in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria, Wednesday commissioned their partnership in the implementation of the National Surgical, Obstetrics, Anaesthesia and Nursing Plan (NSOANP), to strengthen the healthcare system in the country.
Public Relations and Communications Manager Africa , Smile Train, Emily Manjeru, in press statement said a cleft e-registry platform to map out patients with cleft and link them to quality care was also launched.
The statement said, Smile Train’s scalable and sustainable model of investing in training and resources to treat cleft has a proven positive impact on the quality of care provided at local communities, noting: “The Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed in December 2020 followed progressive engagement in which Smile Train participated at the NSOANP Stakeholders Implementation meeting in Abuja in February 2020.
Speaking while presenting the Federal Minister for Health with a Smile Maker plaque, Smile Train Programme Director for West and Central Africa, Mrs. Nkeiruka Obi, noted that the NSOANP aims at ensuring that the healthcare workers in the country provide high quality care in their communities.
She added that there was a huge backlog of cleft patients living in isolation and being stigmatised, yet when treated have great potential to serve the country.
“We need to equip our medical professionals with basic life-saving skills that meet the needs of underserved communities. Smile Train’s model of teaching a man to fish looks at holistic care of patients. Similarly, the establishment of E-Registry for Clefts and Surgical Surveillance and Referral System gives us reliable data to promote local research aimed at developing evidence-based policies surrounding clefts and surgical care,” Mrs. Obi noted.
On his part, the Minister for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire added that the partnership with Smile Train has a ripple effect on the quality of healthcare services.
“Smile Train scalable sustainable approach to cleft care has demonstrated goodwill in developing and strengthening the expertise of our healthcare providers, having transformed the lives of more than 27,000 cleft patients over the last decade,” Dr. Ehanire said.
On his part co-Chairperson for NSOANP, Prof. Emmanuel Ameh, underscored the need for a multi-faceted approach, bringing policy makers, healthcare providers and development partners, to the table in ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare, with financial risk protection.
